Pronunciations (7)
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/fɔːlt/
Pronunciation notes
- Received-Pronunciation
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/fɒlt/
Pronunciation notes
- Received-Pronunciation
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/fɔlt/
Pronunciation notes
- General-American
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/fɑlt/
Pronunciation notes
- cot-caught-merger
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[fɒːlt]
Pronunciation notes
- Canada
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fɔːlt
Pronunciation notes
- GB
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fɔlt
Pronunciation notes
- US
Noun
Culpability; the responsibility for a blameworthy event.
- Examples
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No, don't blame yourself. It's my fault that we lost the game.
I told them the pie was still too hot. If they burn their tongues, that's their fault.
More examples (3)
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
A police official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that a note found at the scene addressed to Ms. Spade's 13-year-old daughter indicated, among other things, that what had happened was not the child’s fault.
How many more innocent people and kids gotta get killed by these police, man? / And then it's always the victim's fault
A defect, imperfection, or weakness; more severe than a flaw. A failing of character; less severe than a vice.
- Examples
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Despite all her faults, she’s a good person at heart.
A defect, imperfection, or weakness; more severe than a flaw. A characteristic, positive or negative or both, which increases one's risk of danger or difficulty.
- Synonyms
- Examples
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You're still young, that's your fault.
A defect, imperfection, or weakness; more severe than a flaw. A strongly undesirable variation of food or drink caused by impurity or contamination.
- Examples
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Cork taint is one of the most recognizable wine faults.
More examples (1)
The time of greatest prevalence of this microörganism, August and September, agreed in general with the occurrence of this cheese fault. Not a single Cheddar cheese was found which turned blue, and as the iron content of Cheddar cheese was low the author regards this as supporting his conclusion that iron is the cause of the fault.
No common wine fault is likely to cause serious health problems but you won't want to take the tasting much further if the wine smells faulty.
A defect, imperfection, or weakness; more severe than a flaw. A point of weakness in something's physical structure.
Usage- Obsolete
- Examples
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As patches set upon a little breach / Discredit more in hiding of the fault.
A mistake or error. A minor offense.
A mistake or error. An illegal serve.
- Examples
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More examples (1)
It is a fault if the ball served drop in the net, or beyond the Service-Line, or if it drop out of Court, or in the wrong Court. A fault may not be taken. After a fault, the Server shall serve again from the same Court from which he served that fault.
A mistake or error. A penalty point assessed in horseback events such as show jumping.
- Examples
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If the horse refuses an obstacle, the rider will receive four faults.
A mistake or error. An exception within a software program or process.
- Narrower terms
A point at which something is divided, interrupted, or disconnected. A fracture in a rock formation causing a discontinuity.
- Examples
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More examples (1)
That might explain why the last three major earthquakes occurred not at San Andreas faults, where it would seem natural to expect them, but in both adjacent fault groups.
A point at which something is divided, interrupted, or disconnected. An abnormal connection within an electric circuit.
- Narrower terms
A point at which something is divided, interrupted, or disconnected. A loss of the scent being tracked by a hound.
- Examples
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Ceasing their clamorous cry till they have singled, / With much ado, the cold fault clearly out.
A point at which something is divided, interrupted, or disconnected. An intrusion of another material, such as dirt or slate, within a coal seam.
want; lack; absence
Usage- Obsolete
- Examples
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one, it pleases me, for fault of a better, to call my friend
Verb
To criticize, blame or find fault with something or someone.
Usage- Transitive
- Synonyms
- Examples
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For that, says he, I ne'er will fault thee / But for humbleness exalt thee.
More examples (1)
"There will a team over there [he waves towards York's Rail Operating Centre] like flight engineers, maintaining it and faulting it from a ROC rather than a van by the side of the track."
To fracture.
Usage- Intransitive
To commit a mistake or error.
Usage- Intransitive
To undergo a page fault.
Usage- Intransitive
Noun
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
- Broader terms
- Examples
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he made a bad mistake
she was quick to point out my errors
More examples (1)
I could understand his English in spite of his grammatical faults
an imperfection in an object or machine
- Broader terms
- Examples
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a flaw caused the crystal to shatter
if there are any defects, you should send it back to the manufacturer
the quality of being inadequate or falling short of perfection
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
- Examples
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they discussed the merits and demerits of her novel
he knew his own faults much better than she did
(geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other
- Examples
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they built it right over a geological fault
he studied the faulting of the earth's crust
(electronics) equipment failure attributable to some defect in a circuit (loose connection or insulation failure or short circuit etc.)
- Broader terms
- Examples
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it took much longer to find the fault than to fix it
responsibility for a bad situation or event
- Broader terms
- Examples
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it was John's fault
(sports) a serve that is illegal (e.g., that lands outside the prescribed area)
- Examples
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he served too many double faults
Verb
put or pin the blame on
- Synonyms